1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer system provided with a main printer which includes a first tank having a large volume and a first discharge head and a sub printer which includes a second tank having a volume smaller than that of the first tank and a second discharge head, the main printer to be used for the printer system, and a method for discharging the waste ink.
2. Description of the Related Art
A portable type printer has been suggested, which is small in size as compared with a stationary type printer provided with a paper feed/discharge mechanism and which can be carried about, for example, with one hand (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 10-24613 and 2003-72107). Even in the case of such a portable type printer, it is necessary that any bubble, which exists in the ink stored in the ink tank, should be removed and/or the meniscus, which is formed in the nozzle hole of the discharge head, should be adjusted in order to appropriately form the image on the recording member. For this purpose, it is required to appropriately perform the purge process.
However, when the purge process is performed, the ink is discharged from the discharge head. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a waste ink-accommodating section for accommodating the discharged waste ink. If the waste ink-accommodating section is provided in a narrow and small casing of the portable type printer, it is necessary that the ink tank, which is accommodated in the casing as well, should have a smaller volume. This contravenes such an object aimed for the portable type printer that it is intended to increase the volume of the ink tank in order to avoid any early ink shortage. In view of the above, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 10-24613 and 2003-72107 describe a portable type printer which is not provided with any discharge ink-accommodating section for the purge operation, wherein a discharge ink-accommodating section is provided for an exclusive station which is subjected to the docking with the portable type printer.
However, the exclusive station as described above finds no way of use except when the portable type printer is subjected to the docking. Further, the installation space is not small as well. In this viewpoint, it is not affirmed that the exclusive station as described above is convenient for the user.